Robot monks to Gen-Z merch: Korean Buddhism reinvents itself to survive

A robot monk. An EDM-spinning DJ in clerical robes. Buddhist-themed key chains. Even if they sound more like the punchline to a joke than the face of a centuries-old religion, they have nevertheless become the new face of Korean Buddhism.

Not long ago, Korean Buddhism had little reason to worry about its future. In 2005, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the country's largest Buddhist denomination, welcomed 319 new monks and nuns. Then the decline came swiftly.

Annual ordinations fell to 226 in 2014, then plunged to 157 just two years later. Entering the 2020s, the number of new monastics fell into double digits. In 2022, it hit a low of 61.

An unsettling belief spread through the order: Buddhism might go extinct in Korea within 30 years.

The Venerable Jinwoo wasted little time giving Buddhism a younger, more contemporary image after taking office as president of the Jogye Order in September 2022. He replaced solemnity with accessibility and took the religion beyond temple walls to reach younger audiences.

DJ NewJeansNim, the EDM-performing persona of comedian Yoon Sung-ho, appeared onstage for various Buddhist events and fairs in Buddhist robes and became a cultural phenomenon.

While some within the Buddhist community criticized the act for trivializing the religion, Venerable Jinwoo saw something else.

Rather than distancing the order from the viral character, he invited the comedian to his office for a highly publicized meeting — a deliberate move. The gesture defied the conventions that had long defined the order's leadership.

The order's recruitment posters got a makeover, too.

Gone were the solemn, austere images long associated with monastic life. Instead, recruitment posters featured young, photogenic monks and nuns beneath the slogan: The path to freedom, the path to peace and the path to happiness.

Three different versions of posters were plastered at universities and temples across the country. It was part of a broader effort to give ordination a younger, more stylish image.

That shift extends well beyond recruitment.

Buddhist expos, once centered largely on doctrine and ritual, have been reimagined as lifestyle events.

At the Korea Buddhist Culture Expo 2026 in Daegu in June, organizers reimagined one of Buddhism's best-known scriptures with the mantra, "Form is OO, OO is form: Everyone's favorite O-play." It was a twist on the Heart Sutra's famous verse, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

It was a part of a broader effort to package Buddhist ideas in ways that resonate with younger generations.

Temple cuisine has become another ambassador.

Popularized by the Venerable Seonjae through Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" (2024-), Buddhist temple food has evolved from a niche religious tradition into one of Korea's trendiest culinary experiences. Live cooking demonstrations of temple cuisine are a perennial crowd favorite at Buddhist expos.

This year's expo also welcomed an audience few would have expected at a religious gathering: pets. It was the country’s first pet-friendly religious exhibition. Visitors accompanied by their animals enjoyed free admission.

Pet strollers rolled through exhibition halls, and some dogs appeared dressed in miniature monks' robes. Vegetarian treats inspired by Buddhist principles were served at dedicated booths.

For many younger visitors, the real draw isn't the dharma. It's the merch.

Cute novice monk characters — usually children — now appear on everything from key chains to phone grips.

A total of 65 percent of visitors were in their 20s or 30s at this year’s Daegu expo. Of all visitors, 42 percent said they had no religious affiliation.

The Seoul International Buddhism Expo in April drew roughly 200,000 visitors. Nearly three-quarters of them were either millennials or Generation Z. In addition, 48 percent of them identified as nonreligious.

"For a long time, Buddhism has been surrounded by difficult terminology and an image that made it feel inaccessible to young people," said the Venerable Deokan, head of the Jogye Order's media and public relations office. "Our goal has been to lower that barrier and let Buddhism approach people first.”

Those efforts, he said, are already translating into success.

During Buddha's Birthday celebrations in May, temples across the country welcomed at least three times as many visitors as usual. Temple administrators told him they had never seen crowds like that in decades.

"We believe the Buddhist community's voluntary efforts are beginning to pay off, little by little,” the Venerable Deokan said.

The rebranding has also taken Buddhism into the realm of science and technology.

A humanoid robot, “Gabi,” debuted at this year's Buddha's Birthday ceremony at Jogye Temple in central Seoul. Draped in traditional robes, the robot walked across the stage to receive Buddhist precepts — a scene that suggested Buddhism is not left behind by technology, but is evolving alongside the AI era.

"AI cannot eliminate human suffering," the Venerable Jinwoo said. "But it can be trained to help people find ways to overcome suffering. I named the robot Gabi using two syllables from the [Korean] phrase 'the compassion of Siddhartha Gautama.’ It conveys a meaning that even AI should embody the Buddha's compassion and serve humanity.”

Gabi has since appeared at the Lotus Lantern Festival and helped cut the ceremonial ribbon at the Korean Buddhism Culture Expo 2026.

The strategy is already inspiring other Buddhist sects. The Venerable Sangjin, chief of the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism, said his order plans to hold a large-scale world youth Buddhist expo next year.

The Jogye Order has continued widening its cultural reach.

For "Journey to Find Myself: Seon Meditation Concert for Healing (translated),” held on July 7 at Mapo Art Center in western Seoul, the order handed creative direction to jazz vocalist Woongsan. The session blended meditation with jazz and traditional Korean music for better public appeal.

Whether the strategy has reversed Buddhism's long-term decline remains unclear. But after falling to just 61 new monastics in 2022, annual ordinations have edged upward — to 84 in 2023, 81 in 2024 and 99 last year.

BY BAIK SUNG-HO [[email protected]]